A Very Frozen Christmas Carol

Chapter 2

The king sat alone in his dining hall for a little while before taking the long walk to his bedroom. Only the staff who lived in the castle remained and most were already asleep. As King Runeard made his way up the stairs to his room, he heard a rattling around him. It sounded like chains being dragged across the stairs. Quite frightened by this, King Runeard ran up the stairs to his bedroom door. Breathing heavily, he stood infront of the door for a moment to catch his breathe. When he looked down at the doorknob, to his utter shock, it was replaced by a ghostly face.
"Runeard... Scrooge..."

A echoing voice called out, King Runeard became so frightened that he stepped backwards too far and fell back down the stairs. When King Runeard got back onto his feet, the sounds had disappeared and the face was no longer on the doorknob. The king quickly opened the door to his quarters and shut it with haste before locking the several locks on the door. He then went to his chair near the fireplace and sat there.
"Bah, humbug. Its all just indigestion." The king said to try and calm himself, which it did but only for a little while. King Runeard soon heard the sounds of chains and steps coming up the stairs. Only a moment later, a ghostly figure appeared. Floating through the locked door, but was anchored to the ground by heavy chains and what appeared to be heavily metal boxes. The chains were many and they wrapped around most of the spectors body. The king, who was left stuttering in fear slowly spoke to the figure.
"Who are you?"
The ghost looked at him and moved closer. "Ask me who I was, King Runeard the Scrooge of Arendelle."
The king responded, "Who were you then?"

The ghost took a deep breathe before speaking once more. "In life, I was your confident and best friend, the Duke of Weaselton."
"The Duke?" The king asked.
"You do not believe in me, do you King Runeard?" The ghost stared directly at the king.
"No, I do not," the king responded as he attempted to get comfortable in his chair.
"Why do you doubt your sense?" The Duke asked.
The king grumbled, pointing his finger at the Duke. "Because little can affect them, you could just be a blot of mustard or a piece of undercooked potato. You could just be a figment of my imagination-"
"Oh woah is me! You are blind Scrooge! Blind to your actions as I was to my own! Now I wander the world with no peace carrying these heavy chains! Woah is me!" The Duke screamed at the King. This screaming caused King Runeard to jump out of his chair and hide behind it. Popping his head out after the Duke had finished.
"I meant no offense, please be gentle with me. You were always a good friend to me. Why are you chained in such a way?" The king asked.
"I wear the chains I formed in life. I made them link by link and yard by yard. Do you recognize the pattern?" The Duke grabbed some of the chain and showed it to the king.
"Do you recognize the pattern, Scrooge?"
King Runeard looked at the chain and then back up at the Duke.
"No, I do not recognize it. Why should I?"

The Duke looked down at the king and spoke sternly.
"Your chains were as long and as heavy as these, seven years ago. Can you imagine what they look like now? Quite heinous things. But you can escape my fate of walking the earth unnoticed and without peace."
"Tell me how, my dear friend. You were always kind to me." The king said as he waited to hear the Duke speak.
"This night, you will be visited by three spirits. Expect the first when the clock strikes one."
"Can I simply not have them all at once and get it over with?" The king complained as the Duke made his way towards the bedroom window.
"Expect the second, when the clock strikes two and the last one, when the clock strikes three. Farewell, Runeard Scrooge. Look to see me no more." And in that moment, the Duke took his chains and vanished through the window. Leaving the king frightened and confused. Getting up out of his chair, the king ran and jumped into his large bed. Crawling under the covers as he fell aslesp.